There is no mention of the Justice League in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s plans for the DC Universe moving forward, but the first stage of this new timeline does involve a similarly skilled team of costumed vigilantes. One of the more surprising titles on the Warner Bros. schedule of upcoming DC movies is The Authority, which is inspired by one of the more obscure titles in the comic book publisher’s repertoire.
If Gunn’s announcement of this self-described “passion project” of his marked the first time you had ever heard of The Authority, you are certainly not alone. Thus, we have compiled all the most essential facts about the superhero collective to help prepare you for one of the most intriguing upcoming superhero movies — starting with the basics.
The Authority Is A Superhero Team From DC’s Wildstorm Imprint
The Authority’s self-titled comic book series was first published in 1999 as part of DC’s Wildstorm label, which was originally founded by artist Jim Lee under Image Comics. However, many of the characters who would become part of the titular group debuted in the Stormwatch series, which was a spin-off of an animated TV show Lee created in 1992 called Wildcats.
StormWatch was a superhero team that answered to the U.N. and whose series was taken over in 1997 by Warren Ellis, who opted to kill off every character he did not create himself in a crossover with Wildcats and the Alien franchise (yes, the one with the Xenomorphs that Sigourney Weaver battles), which turned out to be the catalyst for The Authority’s creation, as the team would be made up of the Wildcats’ surviving members.
Founded And Led By Jenny Sparks
The head "authority" of The Authority is Jenny Sparks, who is what is called a “Century Baby.” This means she is a type of superhuman born at the exact start of a new century, which granted her the ability to generate, control, and even become electricity as well as a live up to 100 years, no matter how often she indulges in her vices of alcohol and tobacco.
The former British Intelligence Army colonel has been a part of several teams, all of which she was disappointed by, until she joined the covert StormWatch Black, whose leader turned out to be a fascist, leading Jenny to kill him and create The Authority.
Apollo Is Their Superman-Esque Counterpart
We mentioned at the top of this article that The Authority is a team consisting of heroes with a similar skill-set to the Justice League. So, in that regard, you can consider Apollo the team’s own “Superman” due to his genetically engineered abilities — including including super strength, flight, light manipulation, invulnerability — that are fueled by his absorption of solar radiation. He also has the honor of being one of the first openly gay DC characters, and he's not the only one on this particular team with an LGBTQ+ identity either.
Midnighter Is The Team’s Batman
Imagine if Superman and Batman were lovers and it might look a lot like the relationship between Apollo and his husband, Midnighter. Like the Dark Knight, this imposing, brutal, dark-costume-clad vigilante can outwit anyone in physical combat due to — unlike Bruce Wayne — a battle computer in his brain that allows him to predict any of his opponents’ attacks,
Swift Is A Winged Warrior
A character who has existed on both the Justice League and as one of the founding members of the Justice Society of America is Hawkgirl, who also her own counterpart in the Authority. Shen Li-Men, better known as Swift, is a Tibetan woman whose body is adapted to avian physiology that allows her to fly. She also, literally, has eyes like a hawk and can see for very long distances.
The Doctor Wields Magic
Not only do some of the The Authority members bear a resemblance to a few Justice Leaguers, but also some of Marvel Comics’ Avengers, such as The Doctor. Similar to Doctor Strange, the Dutch-born Jeroen Thornedike is a master of sorcery, but with the unique characteristic of being imbued with the knowledge of those who held his mantle before him.
The Engineer Is A Metallic, Living Arsenal
If Tony Stark, instead of building a mechanical suit of armor, changed his physiology entirely to become Iron Man, his fate would be similar to that of Engineer. Angela Spica, instead of blood, has eight pints of nanobots in her bloodstream, which allows her to interact with mechanical objects and shapeshift her body into any useful tools, including weapons.
Jack Hawksmoor Has A Unique Relationship Urban Areas
Easily the most uniquely gifted member of The Authority would have to be Jack Hawksmoor, who — after being experimented on by aliens — has the ability to develop a symbiotic relationship with whatever urban area he may find himself in. This includes walking on walls, manipulating streets and entire buildings to his liking, gaining knowledge of past events through window-watching, etc. The bigger the city he inhabits, the more powerful he becomes. Now, that is something I am certainly looking forward to seeing adapted for the big screen.
The Team Has A Very No-Holds-Barred Approach To Fighting Crime
The one thing about The Authority — whose traveling headquarters, “The Carrier,” can move through different spaces within the DC Multiverse — that has helped distinguish them from other superhero teams and made them so influential to modern comics — especially for darker titles like The Boys — is their modus operandi. They are not the kind heroes who necessarily aim for peace, and have gone so far as to invade sovereign nations and murder corrupt leaders and shady corporate criminals in their efforts to protect the innocent as they see fit. At one point, they even made themselves the rulers of the United States after the president started an inter-dimensional war.
Superman Recently Founded His Own Version Of The Team
The Authority title would eventually go dormant for 10 years until, in 2021, Grant Morrison came out with a reinvention of the team called Superman and the Authority. This new run saw Kal-El secretly creating The Authority in response to his powers suddenly growing weaker, with recruits that include Manchester Black (originally created as a riff on Jenny Sparks), Apollo, Midnighter, Enchantress, and Steel.
Obviously, R-rated comic book movies are nothing new, but this team sounds like a real game-changer for the franchise — or even the genre — with their brutal, take-no-prisoners approach to fighting crime. The Authority still does not have a release date (or much more information to go with it), but consider me awaiting it with anxious anticipation.
